fairway / wake
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fairway
The area in a body of water such as a river, canal, or the sea that is deep enough and safe for shipping.
Das große Containerschiff muss exakt im Fahrwasser navigieren, um nicht auf Grund zu laufen.
The large container ship has to navigate exactly within the fairway so it does not run aground.
'Fahrwasser' (fairway) is made up of the stem of the verb 'fahren' (to drive/travel/go) and the noun 'das Wasser' (water). So it literally describes the water in which ships can travel. The gender 'das' comes from 'das Wasser'.
Der Lotse führte das Schiff sicher durch das enge Fahrwasser.
The pilot guided the ship safely through the narrow fairway.
The literal meaning of 'Fahrwasser' (fairway) is used in the context of shipping. You can recognize the figurative, idiomatic meanings by the fact that they refer to people, companies, or abstract situations.
Das Schiff verließ das markierte Fahrwasser.
The ship left the marked fairway.
The expression 'ins richtige/ruhige Fahrwasser kommen' means that a difficult situation stabilizes. You can also 'eine Person oder ein Projekt ins richtige Fahrwasser bringen' (get a person or project back on the right track).
Mit dem neuen Management kam das Projekt endlich ins richtige Fahrwasser.
With the new management, the project finally got back on the right track.
The expression 'in jemandes Fahrwasser geraten' or 'sich in jemandes Fahrwasser befinden' means to be strongly influenced by another person and to follow their course. Pay attention to the possessive pronoun (seinem, ihrem, etc.).
Er bewunderte seinen Chef so sehr, dass er völlig in dessen Fahrwasser geriet.
He admired his boss so much that he completely fell into his wake.
train / track
'die Bahn' and 'das Fahrwasser' can both refer to a path or direction. Literally, 'Bahn' is a general fixed path along which something moves. 'Fahrwasser' literally belongs to shipping and means the safe area in the water for ships. There is also a similarity in figurative use: you can say 'etwas in die richtigen Bahnen lenken' (to get something on track) or 'ins richtige Fahrwasser kommen' (to get back on track). Both mean that a development proceeds in an orderly or positive way. The words can therefore be confused. 'Bahn' is more general and fits in many areas. 'Fahrwasser' sounds especially natural with water or in the fixed figurative expression.
Nach den ersten Problemen ist das Team langsam ins richtige Fahrwasser gekommen.
After the initial problems, the team has slowly gotten back on track.
Nach dem Streit versucht die Leiterin, das Projekt wieder in die richtigen Bahnen zu lenken.
After the argument, the manager is trying to get the project back on track.